MV Agusta

MV Agusta, originally Meccanica Verghera Agusta, is a motorcycle manufacturer founded on 12 February 1945 near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy.[1] The company began as an offshoot of the Agusta aviation company formed by Count Giovanni Agusta
in 1923. The Count died in 1927, leaving the company in the hands of
his wife and sons, Domenico, Vincenzo, Mario and Corrado. Count Vincenzo
Agusta together with his brother Domenico formed MV Agusta at the end
of the Second World War
as a means of saving the jobs of employees of the Agusta firm and also
to fill the post-war need for cheap, efficient transportation. The acronym MV stands for Meccanica (mechanics) Verghera, the hamlet where the first MVs were made. The company manufactured small-displacement, café racer-style
motorcycles (mostly 125 to 150 cc) through the 1950s and 1960s. In the
1960s, small motorcycle sales declined, and MV started producing larger
displacement cycles in more limited quantities. A 250 cc, and later a
350 cc twin were produced, and a 600 cc four-cylinder evolved into a
750 cc.

History

Racing philosophy (1945–1971)

1954 MV Agusta CSTL 175 Turismo Lusso

750 America

Giacomo Agostini on the MV Agusta 350 four-cylinder

Count Vincenzo and Domenico Agusta had a passion for mechanical workings and for motorcycle racing. Much like Enzo Ferrari, they produced and sold motorcycles almost exclusively to fund their racing efforts. They were determined to have the best Grand Prix motorcycle racing
team in the world and spared no expense on their passion. MV Agusta
produced their first prototype, called "Vespa 98", in 1945. After
learning that the name had already been registered by Piaggio for its Vespamotorscooter, it was referred to simply by the number “98”. In 1948, the company built a 125 cc two-stroke single and entered Franco Bertoni in the Italian Grand Prix. Bertoni won the event held in Monza and instantly put the new motorcycle manufacturer on the map.

In the 1949 season,
the 125 cc, or ultra light weight class, gained new prestige. More
motorcycle manufacturers were competing in the inaugural world
championships that were held in Switzerland, Netherlands and Italy. The Mondial
125 cc DOHC design dominated the 1949 season. The MV riders placed
ninth and tenth in the final standings. In 1950, Arturo Magni and Piero
Remor joined the company after working with Gilera. Magni was the chief mechanic and Remor was chief designer.[2] The 1950 season and 1951 season were development years, as the company adopted the 125 Dohcfour-stroke engine. Racing efforts only produced a fifth-place finish at the Dutch TT in 1950. The 1951 results were only slightly better.

With the success of the 1952 season, independent or "privateer"
riders could now purchase a "catalog" version of the 125 DOHC, now
available through the company. The Sport Competizione
racer had many of the same features as the factory bike. These included
a multi-plate clutch, gear-driven oil pump, Dell'Orto 27 mm SS1
carburetor and remote float chamber. The bike was nicknamed the "Boy
Racer". In 1953,
the race engineers adopted the Earles-type forks to help with handling
problems on the works racers. The 1953 season saw the introduction of
the 350 Four. MV’s racing efforts now included the 500 cc, 350 cc and
125 cc class.

Nineteen fifty-three saw the introduction of a new 175 cc overhead cam model. MV Agusta produced the 175 CST and CSTL (Turismo Lusso)
for street use and soon developed a sportier 175 cc version with larger
carburetor, a larger cylinder head with bigger fins, aluminum wheel
rims and plenty of glossy red paint. The first year version (1954) of
the 175 Sport featured a beautifully sculpted fuel tank that quickly
earned it the unofficial nickname "Disco Volante" (flying saucer)
as, viewed from the front, the tank shape was reminiscent of a flying
saucer. Soon after, MV began offering a very limited-availability racing
version 175 cc "Super Sport" for MSDS racing (production club racing)
equipped with unusual Earles-design front forks. In 1955, it was
superseded by a new and improved Super Sport model with radical new
styling and a five-speed gearbox. Its design earned it the nickname "Squalo"
(Shark). This 175 cc racing machine was very popular in Britain in the
mid-1950s, where tuners learned to bore it out to over 200 cc capacity.
Racers including Micheal O’Rourke, Derek Minter,
and Bob Keeler raced the 175 and 125 Sport Competizione around Europe
with a great deal of success. The marketing strategy of "race it on
Sunday, sell it on Monday" was adhered to, and it worked. MV street
motorcycles enjoyed immense popularity throughout Europe. In 1958
American rider Dave Schuler, riding a borrowed and barely modified MV
175 Sport street bike, won the 175 class at the famed Catalina Island GP
off-road race, in California.

After the 1957 season, the Italian motorcycle manufacturers Gilera, Moto Guzzi and Mondial
jointly agreed to withdraw from Grand Prix competition due to
escalating costs and diminishing sales. Count Agusta originally agreed
to withdraw, but then had second thoughts. MV Agusta went on to dominate
Grand Prix racing, winning 17 consecutive 500 cc world championships.[3] Count Agusta's competitive nature usually saw him hire some of the best riders of the time, namely Carlo Ubbiali, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read,
among others, and having the best engineers, most notably Arturo Magni.
The three- and four-cylinder race bikes were known for their excellent
road handling. The fire-engine red racing machines became a hallmark of
Grand Prix racing in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Loss of the guiding force (1971 - 1980)

With the death of Count Domenico Agusta in 1971, the company lost its guiding force. The company won their last Grand Prix in 1976
and by the end of the season they were out of racing. The company's
precarious economic position forced MV Agusta to seek out a new
financial partner. A solution was found in the form of public financing
giant EFIM (Ente Partecipazioni e Finanziamento Industria Manifatturiera),
which demanded that MV Agusta exit the motorcycle industry if were to
have any chance of straightening its finances. However, they continued
to sell bikes until 1980, when the last machine in the Cascina Costa
warehouses was bought up.

Resurrected by Cagiva (1991 - 1999)

F4 750 Oro

Cagiva
purchased the MV Agusta name trademarks in 1991. In 1997 it introduced
the first new MV Agusta motorcycle. The new bikes were four-cylinder
750 cc sports machines, the F4 range,
which included a series of limited production run models, such as the
all black paint work SPR model (Special Production Racing) which was
featured in the movie I, Robot.
In 2004 they introduced their first 1,000 cc bike. 2004 marked the end
of production for the 750 Sport machines, with limited production of 300
SR (Special Racing) models in the traditional red and silver livery.

MV Agusta also made a limited number of F4 750 cc and F4 1,000 cc Senna editions in memory of the late Formula One champion, Ayrton Senna,
an avid Ducati and MV Agusta collector, in aid of the Instituto Ayrton
Senna, his charity foundation in Brazil for children and young people.
Three hundred of each model were made in the early 2000s.

They also produce a range of 750 and 910 naked bikes called the Brutale. Production is limited, as it is the policy of the company to produce an elite machine similar to Ferrari
in motor cars. They do not compete directly with Japanese
manufacturers, whose motorcycles typically sell for considerably lower
prices; rather, they compete with other Italian models such as Ducati's sports bikes 996, 998, 999, 1098, and the naked Monster. In 2005 MV Agusta introduced the Tamburini 1000, which is named after its creator, Massimo Tamburini, who had previously worked for Ducati, where he designed the Ducati 916. Cycle World and Australian Motorcycle News magazine named it the best sportbike in the world.[citation needed]
Tamburini designed the Ducati 916 sports bike (predecessor of the 748
and 996 series) which marked the return of Ducati as a successful
motorcycle manufacturer in the early twenty-first century. The MV Agusta
F4 refined the innovative design of the 916. Claimed power of the new
F4 312R model is 183 hp (136 kW). In 1999 the Cagiva group was
restructured for strategic purposes and MV Agusta become the main
division, comprising Cagiva and Husqvarna.

Since 1999

Heavily in debt, the manufacturer was bought by Malaysian car maker Proton in December 2004 for €70 million. In December 2005, Proton sold MV Agusta to GEVI SpA, a Genoa-based
financing company related to Carige, for a token one euro excluding
debt. By 2006 GEVI SpA, with 65% of the share capital, had refinanced MV
Agusta allowing the company to continue operating in its native Italy.

2010 MV Agusta F4 1000

In July 2007, MV Agusta Motor SpA sold the Husqvarna motorcycle brand to BMW for an undisclosed amount.[4] According to MV Agusta president Claudio Castiglioni, the sale was a strategic step to concentrate all of the company's resources in order to expand MV Agusta and Cagiva's presence in the international markets, having more financial resources for new model development.[4]

Following years of stalled ownership, the Guggenheim's "Art of the
Motorcycle" icon, the F4 model, was ready for a refresh, but the
financial status of the company did not allow it. On July 11, 2008, Harley-Davidson announced they had signed a definitive agreement to acquire the MV Agusta Group for US$109 million (€70m),[5][6] completing the acquisition on August 8, 2008.[7]

On October 15, 2009, Harley-Davidson announced that it would divest its interest in MV Agusta[8]
and on August 6, 2010, it announced that MV Agusta had been sold to
Claudio Castiglioni and his wholly owned holding company, MV Agusta
Motor Holding, S.r.l.

MV Agusta announced that for the first three months of 2010 bike sales increased by 50%.[9]

On October 31, 2014, Mercedes-AMG announced a long term partnership with the motorcycle brand and the acquisition of a 25% minority stake.[10] This followed similar acquisition strategy by rival Ducati, now in partnership with Audi.

Towards the end of March 2016, media reports started to appear which
indicated that MV was again experiencing serious financial problems
(including a debt of €40 million) and that it had obtained a concordato in continuita
order which would, in the short-term at least, protect it against
creditor claims whilst it attempted to find new sources of capital.[11]
This was followed in early April by reports that MV was negotiating the
repurchase of AMG's 25% stake in the company and looking for a new
major investor, whilst retaining the majority shareholding of the
Castiglione family.[12]
Even of greater concern, were reports that MV were not delivering any
spare parts and that the factory might have ceased production.[13]E Refinance announced October 2016. Funds from Black Ocean Group.

Racing history

The glory (1948–1976)

The name of MV Agusta became popular in 1948 when Franco Bertoni
won the 125 cc in the Italian Grand Prix. By that time MV Agusta
adopted the commercial slogan: "Racing experience at the service of mass
production".

The manufacturer won its first world championship in 1952 with Cecil Sandford
in the 125 cc class. Starting a domination in all classes, MV Agusta
won the 125 cc, 250 cc, 350 cc and 500 cc titles simultaneously in 1958, 1959 and 1960. The Italian manufacturer made an impressive streak conquering all 500 cc class riders' championships between 1958 and 1974.

MotoGP World Championship

Isle of Man Tourist Trophy

MV Agusta also won races in the famous Tourist Trophy. Giacomo Agostini
made his Tourist Trophy debut in 1965 in the junior class on an MV 350
three-cylinder and finish third. He participated in 16 TT races, all on
MV Agustas, he won the race 10 times, retired three times and was on the
podium in the other races. He completed a senior-junior double in 1968,
1969, 1970 and 1972. Mike Hailwood won the Tourist Trophy on an MV Agusta four times, three in senior class and one in junior class. John Surtees
turned to MV Agusta in 1956 and won the senior class. In 1958, he
finished the junior and senior classes in first position, a feat he
repeated in 1959. He also won the 1960 edition. MV Agusta won the
Tourist Trophy 34 times